How Galaxy Gear stacks up to other smartwatches

By Doug Gross, CNN

Updated 3:06 PM ET, Thu September 5, 2013

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Smartwatches: The field so far – Samsung's Galaxy Gear smartwatch has a 1.6-inch display, low-res camera, 4GB of storage and comes in six colors. It will go on sale in late September and sell for $299.

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Smartwatches: The field so far – Pebble was a Kickstarter sensation and played a big role in getting the tech world excited about smartwatches. Models sell for around $150.

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Smartwatches: The field so far – Available soon, the Sony SmartWatch 2 will sell for about $260, be compatible with most Android phones and, according to the company, have a battery life of 3-4 days.

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Smartwatches: The field so far – Qualcomm's Toq features the company's "mirasol" screen, which resembles an e-reader's and is meant to be easier on the eyes. It will sell for around $300.

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Smartwatches: The field so far – Motorola's $269 MotoActv smartwatch is marketed as a fitness tracker. It acts as a heart-rate monitor and pedometer, has GPS and an MP3 player. There are also a number of non-wrist mount options, including a handlebar strap, arm band and chest strap.

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Smartwatches: The field so far – The competition for smartwatch supremacy is just getting started. Apple could roll out its own entry soon, and Google and Microsoft also are expected to get in the game.

Story highlights

Here's how the Gear stacks up against the Pebble watch and other rivals

Smartwatches are also rumored to be coming from Apple, Google and Microsoft

It's tricky business comparing the handful of smartwatches that been publicly unveiled so far -- an early wave in the growing flood of wearable tech products.

The market is still defining what qualifies as a smartwatch, and the features available so far vary broadly from device to device.

Samsung made the biggest splash so far Wednesday when it rolled out its Galaxy Gear, a souped-up watch with a simple camera, some decent storage space, voice controls and a single-core processor.

But it lacks integration with Facebook and Twitter -- basic functions already adopted by some of its simpler competitors.

And, if truth be told, some of the stars are still waiting in the wings. Apple, Google and Microsoft -- arguably the heftiest triumvirate in the tech world -- are all expected to hit the market soon with their own smartwatches.